Fused Double Supernumerary Premolars of the Mandible: A Rare Case

The incidence of nonsyndromic supernumerary premolars is rare. Supernumerary premolars are likely to undergo pathological changes. The most commonly encountered complications with these teeth are dentigerous cyst and root resorption of the adjacent tooth. This paper is about impacted double fused supernumerary premolars in the right mandiblular body associated with an impacted first premolar in a 17-year-old male. Under local anesthesia, the supernumerary premolars and the impacted permanent first premolar were surgically removed. Early diagnosis followed by an appropriate treatment at the right time will result in favorable prognosis in such cases

Use of herbal extract from Artemisia herba-alba (Shih) in pharmaceutical preparations for dental hygiene

Antibiotic resistance in bacterial species is opening new avenues to search for alternative modes of antimicrobial treatment, medicinal plant extracts being one among them. The aim of this study was to access the possibility of medicinal plant extract from Shih in the manufacture of pharmaceutical preparations for oral hygiene specifically for the prevention and treatment of dental caries due to Streptococcus mutans. Antimicrobial effects of crude organic extract of Shih on S. mutans isolated from the saliva were examined by taking S. mutans with culture media only (−ve control); S. mutans treated with the antibiotic gentamicin (+ve control) and S. mutans treated with Shih. Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimal Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) were Determination by Iodonitrotetrazolium chloride (INT) colorimetric assay Time-kill dynamic assay was performed using broth microdilution method. The metabolic reason behind the bacteriostatic and bactericidal effect were studied by measuring the glucose utilization by the microbes, pH as a measure of acid production, nucleic acids quantitation to check the DNA status and inhibition of water-insoluble glucan synthesis were undertaken. Shih MIC for S. mutans was at 2.5 mg/ml and MBC was 4 mg/ml. S. mutans bacterial population started reclining within 60 min of incubation with Shih at MBC. Utilization of added glucose was very high at MIC due to bacteria overcoming the stress, whereas at MBC its utilization was less. Accordingly pH also became acidic to 2.9 with MIC and 4.03 with MBC. There was a great degree of inhibition in the formation of nucleic acids indicating this crude extract interferes with DNA replication. Inhibition of glucan synthesis was to the tune of 45% as compared to control. Thus we conclude that Shih has potentially effective antibacterial activity hence it can be proposed as a potentially effective antiplaque and anticariogenic agent in the form of mouth wash or gum paint. However, the cytotoxicity of the extract needs to be evaluated in in-vitro and in-vivo conditions before it is considered as a safe antiplaque and anticariogenic agent. Keywords: Artemisia herba-alba (Shih), Streptococcus mutans, Dental caries, Antimicrobial effect, Metabolic effect

Recent Graduates’ Perspective of Bachelors of Dental Surgery Program at KKU, College of Dentistry, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Report

ABSTRACT This questionnaire survey of recent graduates was carried to find out the strengths and weaknesses of the undergraduate training program for dentists at the King Khalid University College of Dentistry (KKU/COD), Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire focussed on seven key areas of interest to a pioneer dental school, in a region where many patients are visiting the dentist for the first time. Almost all the graduates surveyed returned completed questionnaires (99% response rate). Study was conducted at the end of the internship year. Respondents were generally satisfied with the quality of their training, skills acquired, the adequacy of tools of training (clinical and laboratory equipment). Training was also adjudged relevant and adequate for future practice as General Dental Practitioners. Most of the respondents planned to undergo postgraduate training in a dental specialty after the internship year. Two areas of weakness were cited by survey participants—inadequate patients and patient referral system, clinical support staff-related issues. Much more was expected of faculty and support staff than the program provided during their training. It is hoped that findings of this survey will be considered along with other on-going evaluations of the KKU/COD program in the continuous improvement of the BDS training. How to cite this article Al-Shahrani I, Togoo RA, Syed S. Recent Graduates’ Perspective of Bachelors of Dental Surgery Program at KKU, College of Dentistry, Saudi Arabia: A Report. World J Dent 2014;5(3):174-179. </jats:sec

Have biomarkers made their mark? A brief review of dental biomarkers

Biomarkers are substances that are released into the human body by tumor cells or by other cells in response to tumor. A high level of a tumor marker is considered a sign of certain cancer, which makes biomarker the subject of many testing methods for the diagnosis of cancers. In recent times, these biomarkers have been successfully isolated to diagnose dental-related tumors, benign and malignant conditions. This article is a brief review of literature for various biomarkers used in the field of dentistry

The quality assessment of teeth prepared by fresh graduates for ceramo-metal full coverage crowns

AbstractAmong the most important principles of tooth preparation are adequate tooth reduction and appropriate occlusal clearance for prosthetic restorations. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to know the opinion of Intern Dentists of King Khalid University, College of Dentistry regarding the difficulties of preparing teeth for ceramo-metal crowns (CMC). The study also included the audit of dental casts of prepared teeth for CMC by the same Intern Dentists. The die and antimere teeth were evaluated for buccolingual (BL) and mesiodistal (MD) dimensions using a digital caliper. The presence of planar occlusal reduction, rounded angles and functional cusp bevel was also recorded. The average BL and MD reductions of the prepared teeth were 2.05mm (±0.84) and 2.33mm (±0.79) respectively. Comparison of BL reduction and MD reduction with hypothetically calculated ideal reduction between premolars and molars revealed a statistically insignificant difference (p>0.05, unpaired t-test). However, statistical comparison of BL reduction between maxillary and mandibular dies revealed a significant difference (p<0.05, unpaired t-test). Only one third of the dies had adequate planar occlusal reduction, 60.71% dies showed proper functional cusp bevel and 64% of the dies had rounded cusp angles. In the response to the questionnaire, facial and lingual reductions were considered easy by the respondents, while occlusal surface reduction and maxillary teeth preparation were considered difficult. The amount of tooth reduction performed by the Intern dentists for ceramo-metal crowns was within normal range. Teaching strategies regarding maxillary teeth reduction and planar occlusal reduction may require reconsideration